Animal Rights Cambridge

A small protest was held on 27 Nov 09 outside KuDOS Pharmaceuticals  (410 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 0PE) a wholly owned subsidiary of AstraZeneca as part of the SHAC week of action.

This was our first visit to the site and was a small introduction to us for KuDOS. We left them in no doubt about the cruelty and exploitation that goes on inside the worlds most exposed laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences.

While AstraZeneca continues to deal with the sinking ship that is HLS all their subsidiaries, suppliers and customers are targets for protest. AstraZeneca knows about HLS falsification of data, their history of breaching even the current toothless animal welfare laws and the fact they kill animals for products like GMOs and food additives. AstraZeneca time to drop HLS!

A police car rushed to the scene coming screeching to a hold beside us (must of been the 'extremist' way we held our banner!). A female officer came out and called for another cop who arrived shortly after in another car. The police woman admitted not knowing the law in regards to protest going as far as admitting one of the activists probably knew more then she did! The other cop then asked to see the activists copy of the Police Operational Handbook to look up Section 14! Really cops these days!

We then did a very quick stop off at Staples to let them know they have not been forgotten before heading to the city centre to do an animal rights stall getting the word out to a receptive public.

We would like to thank our comrade from Newcastle Animal Rights without whom this day would have not been possible. Newcastle Animal Rights seems to be a motivated new animal rights group with some real determination to take action at it's core regardless of adversity – thank you to them!

Zippos Circus who still use animals in there acts were in Cambridge between 22-27th October and Animal Rights Cambridge were there to opposed there cruel show. Letters were delivered to shops around Cambridge that were displaying Zippos posters leading to many posters being removed by kind shopkeepers.

The letter highlighted the following facts about Zippos:

-Zippos employed a man who defended infamous abuse at Chipperfield's circus in court. After watching footage of the thrashing and kicking of a baby chimpanzee he was asked “See anything which would constitute cruelty?” he replied unequivocally “No". Asked if he would do the same he said “Yes”!

-Zippos Circus have been exposed by Animal Defenders International, for keeping their horses in trailers without exercise for hours on end.

-'The way that young girl brandished the whip was obviously scary to the horses' 'When the man raised his hand the budgies flinched. Every time!' - Audience Member, 2009 Performance.

The first protest of the week was met with repression with 3 campaigners being arrested despite the protest being totally peaceful. The protesters were taken to March Police Station as Cambridge was full and held overnight. One accepted a reprimand and two were charged one with breach of a Section 14 direction and the other with Obstruction. Bail conditions were used to prevent the two from returning to protest or speaking to each other.

Despite this protests against the circus continued in force. Leaflets were given out and protesters continued there peaceful opposition to the antiquated exploitative show. 

Animal Rights Cambridge have been lobbying Cambridge City Council to get them to ban Foie Gras on council premises and land. We met with the councillors to deliver our petition and one of our members addressed the council's Strategy and Scrutiny Committee about the cruelty involved in Foie Gras production.

The local paper, the Cambridge Evening News, published an article about our campaign and ran a poll asking the question 'Should foie gras be banned?' with 51.3% of respondents agreeing that it should!

We still have a way to go in getting this through the council processes but we hope to see this motion past and for Cambridge to join the ranks of councils like York that say no to foie gras.  

Following the lead of other groups Animal Rights Cambridge is calling for their local council to pass a motion against foie gras on council premises. The local paper are running a poll with the question: Should foie gras be banned?

Please vote 'Yes' to the Foie Gras ban:

 http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/

About Foie Gras:

Every year in France, 30 million ducks are forced into cages so small they can’t even stretch their wings. Trapped and helpless, a metal tube is thrust down their throats and vast quantities of food are forcibly pumped into their stomachs so that their livers swell painfully to up to 10 times their natural size. There is no escape and no respite.

The suffering of these birds is so extreme it would be illegal in this country. However, free trade laws mean that every year we import tonnes of these diseased livers, marketed as an expensive delicacy. Britain is a driving force behind this cruel industry.

An open letter to all police officers involved in the policing of SHAC's Operation Liberation protest on 26th September 2009.

Dear Police,

Yesterday protesters from around the country came together to take part in Operation Liberation a protest organized by SHAC as part of a campaign to close down Highgate Farm who breed rabbits and ferrets for animal testing.  

The police on the day did not let the protesters go down to the farm and the protest was a static demo away from both the farm and the village. You used an unmanned drone to observe the demo as well as lines of cops and police vans all around us. While it has been argued in the past that drones would be used to limit police numbers the number of police was huge. You drew a line on the path and wouldn't let anyone past it. One officer even move people back who's shoes were slightly over the line another push someone back without even asking the protester to move!

The police seem intent on provoking another Newchurch by preventing effective peaceful protest and building up anger by antagonising the national animal rights movement. If you want to show people that keeping to cooperative protest is a good idea, putting them at the end of a lane away from their target and being totally inflexible isn't a great way of going about it!   

I know there are some police trying to avoid another Newchurch. However it seems you have been manipulated by a particularly extreme element in your ranks that needs to provoke the movement to keep its funding. NETCU and similar units seem to be in a very bad way in terms of resources and in this recession they need to manipulate you to keep the funds flowing away from your local policing priorities and to line the pockets of there cosy little number. They don't want to see the movement cooperating with you because that will make them unnecessary.   

Many of you may already be angry that money has in the past been wasted on such units. Do you really want funds to be taken from you and used to sent a car of two or more specialist officers from faraway to a small peaceful protest that could easily be dealt with by your beat bobby (or PCSO) in two minutes flat?

You have probably been told that the animal rights movement has been frozen by the SHAC trials, this is not the case. The movement is getting up, shaking itself down and deciding it's direction. Where are you going to push it towards?

See you on the streets,

An activist.                                 

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This does not necessarily represent the views of everyone at Animal Rights Cambridge. Animal Rights Cambridge has no leaders.

Our Campaign to get the council toadopt a motion against foie gras hit the streets to collectsignatures with great success. The public are very receptive to thisissue and we think this one is winnable!

Bigthanks to Arjuna for letting us do the stall outside of their shop!

On the 8th of September 2009 protesters headed to two Cambridge targets named in the map of DSEi arms fair exhibitors and the Cambridge office of BDO who have given a massive loan to the most exposed animal testing lab in the world Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

The arms trade leads to the death of humans and non-human animals alike and the protesters want to show there cross movement solidarity with all movements fighting for a just and kind world. HLS test sweetener, GMOs and pesticides on animals and has a history of animal welfare violations and falsifying data.

The small group of protesters headed to...

DESi Exhibitor: Mott MacDonald

Demeter House, Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

Arriving at reception protesters told the lady at the desk why they where there and asked to speak to the manager. But the manager didn't want to talk.

Protesters decided to hold a protest in the reception area and unfurled a banner which the receptionist promptly folded over with protesters promptly re-opening it again! After a bit a staff member decided to drag the protesters out. He began dragging a protester across the floor ripping the protesters t-shirt. The staff member then stop to grabbed a female protester pushing her out the door. The remaining campaigners held on to each other staying in the office as the staff member tried to pull them across the floor.

The manager of the Cambridge office came down because of all the commotion and told the staff member to stop. The protesters sat down with him and have a long discussion with him about the arms trade. He apologised to us for the staff member who attacked us and admitted he wouldn't have spoke to us apart? from because of what happened. He said he would be filling in paperwork to inform the company about the protest.     

HLS (animal lab) Finance: BDO Stoy Hayward - Cambridge

Clarendon House Clarendon Road Cambridge CB2 8FH   

Protesters went to the doors of the office block BDO is located in and pushed the buzzer and told the company who they were. An assistant popped down and spoke to them and said he didn't know anything about it and said he didn't agree with the cruelty they described to him. He went back up to his office, but the protesters didn't really feel there issue had been addressed so they went up as well.

A security guard stopped them and protesters explained they just wanted to speak to the people in the office. He didn't let them go up but did let them wait in the reception area while the company phoned head office. One cop turned up and the security guard said the protesters had been peaceful and went to check about BDO who now said it was nothing to do with the Cambridge office but they didn't know about the rest of the company! Protesters explained that wasn't good enough and went outside to voice our opposition on the megaphone.

BDO's Cambridge office now know about the issue and now have a chance to act and tell their bosses to withdraw the massive loan that is helping keep HLS afloat.

DESi Exhibitor: Atkins

5 Wellbrook Court Girton Road Cambridge CB3 0NA

Campaigners headed to the office of Akins to let them know they object to their company's involvement in the arms trade. The site manager came and spoke to them and the protesters told him why they were there. His attitude didn't seem great, but he listened. Protesters unfurled their banner and staff rang the police.

They explained to the manager that they wanted him to contact Head Office to let them know about their objections he refused at first, even referring to the protesters as terrorists at one point when they said trespass was a civil matter, but eventually phoned his head office.

The police arrived and told the manager to tell protesters to leave so they left. The police asked for protesters details but were denied them.

The debate between pacifism and advocates of militant direct action (MDA) has been heating uprecently and at the forefront of those opposed to violence and non-violent property damage is Professor Gary Francione. Francione a law professor and philosopher on animal rights subjects says vegan education is the way forward and appears, at first glance, to advocate a pacifist approach.

Francione's non-violent beliefs are not simply a personal matter as he actively argues against MDA and what he sees as violent action. But this isn't about the rightness or wrongness of truly opposing violence and property damage. This article should interest pacifist and MDA activists alike as it poses the question: Is Gary Francione truly a pacifist?

Recently Francione issued a statement claiming that some people have said theyhad received 'threats and/or violent communications' because of posts they had made 'in support of non-violence' or that were 'critical of the views' of prominent animal rights MDA proponent, philosopher Steven Best. He goes on to name animal activists that run a Facebook group he dislikes and warns people against contacting Prof. Best.

But this article isn't really about this bizarre and sensationalist statement. The 'Green is the New Red' blog has covered it very well already (see here) this article is about a specific part of the statement. A part of the statement that goes to the heart of Francione's claim to pacifism.

In the statement Francionegoes on to say 'If you feel threatened, you should go to the appropriate authorities.' One can only surmise he is referring to the police when he says 'appropriate authorities'. But if Francione is against the use of violence and force why would he be urging people to turn to the police? Even with the most theoretical look at policing one must acknowledge it relies on violence and the threat of force. If the police could not use violence suspects could and would just walk away from them.

How can this be in line with Francione's ideals of pacifism? Remember he does not only see this as a personal lifestyle choice but he actively criticises the use of violence. How does encouraging the use of violence by proxy fit into this belief system? In the USA police officers regularly carry guns so the level of potential violence is very high and many of us know first hand that the police are more than happy to use violence to get their way.

It seems clear that Prof. Francione is not a pacifist but believes instead that his supporters should allow the state to execute violence and threats on their behalf. It is not violence or property damage that he opposes, it seems, it is simply who is doing it that Francione takes issue with. This is not pacifism or non-violence it is contracting out violence. A shot from a gun or a hit with a stick does not magically become non-violent because it is carried out by a uniformed officer.

Whether it is a correct position to use the police or not, to personally refrain from violence and property damage or not is a debate for another time. But let's be clear Francione doesn't seem to object to the use of violence, he is not a pacifist.

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The views in the article are the views of the author only and do not necessarily represent the views of any other member/supporter of Animal Rights Cambridge or the group as a whole.

I just wanted to say a special welcome to our good friends that have been so good as to stop by our website. Site stats show visitors from IP addresses coming from Huntingdon Life Sciences, HLS customer AZ subsidiary MedImmune, the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council and, of course, our great mates at Cambridge Police (based in Huntingdon), NETCU me thinks.

Dear special visitors,

The animal rights movement can never be shut-down, the business community in this time of global economic crisis needs to move away from animal abuse and towards more progressive activities. In particular businesses must take notice of those toxic companies and organizations that are current targets of the global animal rights movement. HLS is a toxic entity and is high risk and will go down. The only question is went and if your companies profits and reputation will be taken with it.

Animal Rights Cambridge will proudly continue to act within the law against all aspects of animal abuse. It is time that NETCU and it's Cambridge response unit are disbanded, public money should not be wasted on peaceful protest and there should not be additional funds for investigating animal rights campaigners. Funds used to protect multinationals could be used to look after the people of Cambridge.

If you are a regular police officer, look no further than NETCU for why there is not any money to investigate assaults, rape and murders in your area. Funds are being wasted on policing small, peaceful protests and responding to every whim of corporations even when it means misusing the law to do so.

We hope those of you who are in jobs for companies that still abuse animals will consider passing information to the movement. This can be done directly or via a site like Wikileaks. All information is helpful from company information to cases of abuse that should be highlighted.

Don't care about animals but still have some bad practice you want to share about your annoying boss? Just do it!

Thanks once again for visiting, see you soon,

Animal Rights Cambridge

Campaigners were out and aboutgathering signatures to call on the council to pass a motion againstfoie gras last Sunday. Watch this space as this campaign is justwarming up! More details to come!